Guardian Angels Return to New York City's Subways

By: Katrina Manning | February 7, 2016

In 1979, the Guardian Angels were formed as a crime-fighting gang that would patrol New York's subways. After a spree of slashing attacks, the group is back.

The group has resumed their patrols as they fear the city is slipping back into its darkest days of crime. Curtis Sliwa, who founded the group in 1979, said "Riders are coming up and asking us: 'Please, you've got to come back in force. I think it's become obvious that the police need help, the MTA needs help. They can't handle it."

Teams of 12 volunteers will now take morning or afternoon shifts to keep a 24-hour presence on the carriages.

The Guardian Angels stopped patrolling the subways and Central Park in the 1990s after Mayor Rudy Giuliani increased policing. Yet, last year has seen a rise in violent crime across New York city. There have even been seven slashing attacks on the subway in the last month alone.

In recent months, knife attacks on the streets have increased. Authorities are looking for connections, or copycats, for the series of slashings that started in October.

In addition, Sliwa who is also a talk radio host, put part of the blame on Mayor Bill de Blasio for being "oblivious" to crime. De Blasio continues to call Central Park, "absolutely safe."